Jerk Pilot Who Landed a Plane on a New York Beach Had a Seizure Today

April 6, 2011

Jason Maloney, the 24-year-old private plane pilot who landed on Rockaway Beach after lying to air traffic controllers on Monday, was rushed to the hospital on Wednesday after experiencing seizures, according to an emergency worker and the New York Daily News. We laughed at Maloney earlier for all of the ridiculous lies and nonsense he uttered while trying to land at the beach — “Whoaaaa, what if I want to hide from you?” he asked the controller, for instance — but after about 36 hours holed up at his home in Cornwall, NY, he came out (without shoes) on a gurney and straight into an ambulance.

Apart from his medical issues, Maloney is facing an investigation after his dramatic landing, probably because he couldn’t stick to a story.

At one point he said he was dropping off a pastor at JFK airport for a “medical mission” (obviously not true) but he also blamed an ill passenger and a bad engine. That latter is being checked out by the Federal Aviation Administration, who have disassembled the plane, which will now be investigated by a mechanic. If the engine was not in fact “a little teensy bit rough,” like Maloney said, he could lose his license and be fined.

Perhaps his illness today is stress-related, with that verdict looming, but even if it’s not, Maloney’s second day of drama is helping him move toward a full 15 minutes of fame.